Fatwa No : 194997

Superstition about Common Tormentil

Fatwa Date : Rabee' Al-Awwal 2, 1434 / 13-1-2013

Question

Salam alaikum, I would like to know if it is used to use a plant called Common Tormentil (lat. Potentilla erecta) for medical purpose, because in Austria, the farmers (or the Christians generally?) believe and say, that shaitan takes a bite of it every 7 years and it is said one can really see a mark of the bite in the plant root. Christians and especially farmers here are very superstitious, so should I ignore that story or should I be cautious? BarakAllah feek. Salam alaikum

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad , is His Slave and Messenger.

If you enter the word “Common Tormentil” into the Google search engine, you will find clear details about this plant and the places where it is grown and its medical benefits.

As regards believing that the devil takes a bite from it every 7 years and that a person may see the trace of that bite in the roots of that plant, then this statement has no basis and it is not true; rather, it is a kind of superstition and it is impermissible to be concerned with it or take it into consideration.